Articles Archive for June 2011

Recommended by library staffer, Greg Vestal. Click here to check it out in our catalog. Here’s the summary:
I Reach Over offers a sad but rewarding glimpse of a transformative process, in the deeply felt and highly imaginative poems of a successful physician-scientist diagnosed with ALS (Lou Gehrig’s disease). Robbed of the future he’d worked so hard and long for and facing the horror of progressive paralysis, the author counters with an open-minded search for his soul, reflected in this candid and inspiring book. Brutally honest and probing poems layered in …

Scott De Wolfe is the co-owner of De Wolfe & Wood Rare Books in Alfred, Maine. He made his first visit to Key West in 1996 and quickly became interested in the history of the island. Being in the rare book and antique paper field has allowed him to amass a large selection of Key West memorabilia, ephemera, books and photographs. His particular interest are items that tell a story or provide a window into the past. De Wolfe notes that “Key West …

For the last decade and a half (OK, since the BBC’s Pride & Prejudice adaptation starring Colin Firth), Jane Austen has been very high on the popular cultural radar screen — almost entirely via screen adaptations. Many are excellent — and many are in the library collection — but it’s worth remembering what made Austen famous to begin with: Her novels.
William Deresiewicz was a young graduate student of literature, enamored of modernity and dismissive of 19th century novels, when he was assigned to read “Emma.” It changed his life, professionally …

If you are obsessed with the Tudors, in fiction and history, or love to read about medieval queens like Eleanor of Acquitaine, She-Wolves by Helen Castor is an excellent choice. Eleanor herself, who was both Queen of France and England before getting locked up by her estranged husband, Henry II, is one of the four women Castor examines as precedents for the Tudor reigns of Mary and Elizabeth. The book also tells the story of Matilda, Eleanor’s mother-in-law and a granddaughter of William the Conqueror. Matilda battled her cousin Stephen for the throne …

This little gem of a graphic novel is enchanting and wordless. That’s right–not a single word of dialogue. I “read” this book with my 5 year old and we’re both still haunted by its complex emotions amid a simple storyline and clean graphics.
Beyond “mad and sad”, here we have abandonment, remorse, pining, betrayal, redemption, and forgiveness, with the new understanding that “happily ever after” doesn’t always include a tidy ending. A book to savor and “read” over and over again.
Click here to view the book in the library catalog.

Congratulations to our colleague, Hal, for amazing recognition of his book, Landini Cadence and Other Stories. Here’s from the press release:
SeaStory Press has published a revised second edition of Hal Howland’s acclaimed novel Landini Cadence. The book is a finalist in the 2011 Next Generation Indie Book Awards, presented on May 24 at the Plaza Hotel in New York.

Landini Cadence and Other Stories: A Rich Castillo Threesome combines the comic tale of roadside sex, murder, and dysfunctional family values with two others featuring cranky Key West detective-musician Rich Castillo: the …

November 30, 5:30 PM - 7:30 PM
137 minutes PG-13
Johnny Depp returns as Captain Jack Sparrow .A tale of truth, betrayal, youth, demise — and mermaids! When Jack crosses paths with a woman from his past (Penelope Cruz), he’s not sure if it’s love, or if she’s a ruthless con artist using him to find the fabled Fountain of Youth. Forced aboard the ship of the most feared pirate ever, Jack doesn’t know whom to fear more — Blackbeard (Ian McShane) or the woman from his past.

During our travels we will begin with the American West for a Tin Can Shoot-Out
Un Mundo, Muchas Historias
One World, Many Stories
Key West Monroe County Public Library to Offer Summer Library Program
Tweens and Teens are invited to come to the Library and read for prizes as well as to take part in special events offered throughout the summer. Our Tween and Teen Challenge programs will run four Saturdays in July. At 3:30 Tweens and Teens will have fun while challenging themselves and other Teens for reading prizes, …